Top 10 Openers with most runs in Tests

8. Mark Taylor (Australia) – 7525 runs:

Mark Taylor was a cricket fan’s dream – he captained well, fielded better and opened the batting. More of a classical batsman, Taylor wasn’t afraid to take the aggressive way out if needed.

He mixed caution with belligerence as he made a name for himself at the top of the order. He started with a bang, scoring 839 runs in his first Ashes series, the second ever best. He became the first player to score more than a thousand runs in his first calendar year, which gave him a nomination as Wisden’s Cricketer of the Year in just his second year of international cricket. Though his form was inconsistent, he scored a masterful 334 in 1997 at Peshawar, then the joint-highest scorer for Australia in Tests.

He became the first player to score more than a thousand runs in his first calendar year, which gave him a nomination as Wisden’s Cricketer of the Year in just his second year of international cricket. Though his form was inconsistent, he scored a masterful 334 in 1997 at Peshawar, then the joint-highest scorer for Australia in Tests.